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Holy Ghost! Ted Neeley talks about “Jesus Christ Superstar”

When it comes to acting gigs, playing Jesus Christ is pretty high on the list.

Sure, portraying Hitler or Napoleon or William Shakespeare might be more of a challenge. Other historical figures have more dramatic depth. And let’s face it: A guy known for being super-nice to everyone doesn’t have a ton of inner demons.

But Jesus, a.k.a. the Messiah, the King of Kings, the Son of Man … Why, that’s a role even Mom can feel good about.

Ted Neeley can relate.

Back in 1973, the rock drummer-turned-Broadway screamer played the title character in the popular film version of “Jesus Christ Superstar.” He played Jesus of Nazareth’s understudy in the original Broadway production, starred in a revival in the 1990s and appears in the current touring production, which visits San Luis Obispo tonight.

Mr. Neeley and I chatted for about an hour, so only a small portion of our conversation made it into print. (You can read the article right here.)

The rest I’ve edited and condensed for your viewing pleasure. Read on as Ted discusses what it’s like to perform “Superstar” on ice, how he got knocked out during a production of “Tommy” and why he convinced “Superstar” director Norman Jewison that he was right for the part of The Messiah.

You recently returned from Alaska, where you performed “Jesus Christ Superstar” without a set. How does that work?

That seems to be par for the course when you’re in Alaska because … there’s just not enough time to get all your (set pieces) from wherever you come from and then back to where you’re going.

We come into the theater and we spend the entire first day addressing what we need to do to perform without a set. It actually gives a wonderful element to the show … What we get to do is experience the essence of a black box in a humongous theater.

This particular show is so easily adjustable to whatever it is we need to do. We’ve played in various theaters in cities in North America and Canada where the back stage area was so small that we couldn’t get elements of the set in. We’re quite adept at changing what we need to do.

You also perform in big arenas.

We play those with this show because of its rock base and the tremendous fan base that it has. It is remarkable. One night you’ll play in a theater that holds maybe 1,200 people and the next night you’re in a 60,000-man arena.

We were just in Canada and played in one of their hockey arenas. Two nights before there was a hockey match on ice. There are times when we get referred to as “The Christ Capades.”

The crew always builds a platform for us but we are in fact on the hockey arena floor. They put wooden slabs on the floor … (to) cover the ice and our platform is set on that. The ice, mind you, still manages to seep in and it is cold. Definitely cold. The audience is sitting on water. At least we get to keep moving. They have to stay stationary.

You started your show business career as a rock n’ roll drummer. What was your introduction to theater?

I was challenged by an actor friend of mine to go audition for a theater piece. I honestly had no desire because, where I grew up in Texas, “theater” was a place you went to see the movies. I had no theatrical background whatsoever. I just went along as an observer. …

There were hundreds and hundreds of people in the parking lot of this building in Los Angeles for this open call audition. When we arrived, the actor said to me, “Just follow me and do what I do.” So I did. …

They called his number. He went up on stage. They asked him to sing a song. He went through about two verses and they said, “Thank you very much” and he walked away.

We were walking out of the building when they called my number, and I kept walking. I was headed out of there. But (the actor) grabbed my arm and said, “No, you gotta see what this feels like. That’s what you came here for.” …

I walked up on the stage and waited … and a voice said, “Well, could you sing a song for us?” And I said, “Of course,” ‘cause that’s my comfort zone, singing. “What would you like to hear?” He said, “Something up tempo, upbeat, with a rock essence.”

At the time, one of the songs I was singing for our band happened to be the No. 1 song in the country, “For Once In My Life” by Stevie Wonder. They let me sing all the way through. I thought, “Now that’s interesting, ‘cause my friend didn’t get to finish.” I finished the song and … started to hurriedly make my exit from the building. The voice in the darkness said, “Hold on a minute there, sir. Could you sing something that’s more of a love song, preferably a ballad that would show off your vocal range…” Since we were weekend human jukeboxes, I was also singing Tony Bennett’s version of “For Once In My Life” as a love song…

Ultimately I got the job and the actor didn’t. Because the actor didn’t have that long-haired, weird look and the actor couldn’t scream the high notes.

That show was “Hair,” directed by Tom O’Horgan.

My long hair and offbeat kind of look was what they were looking for. They didn’t want trained actors and singers and dancers. They wanted people who they could make look like street people and I fitted the bill.

And it was primarily a singing piece. The dancing that was done in “Hair” was just something you would think a bunch of hippies would do at a live-in or a be-in at a park.

Had we been auditioning for “West Side Story,” they wouldn’t have let me in a building.

You went from “Hair” to “Jesus Christ Superstar” and “Tommy.” How did you make the transition from stage to screen?

When I finally (discovered) there was a film being made of “Jesus Christ Superstar,” I was in Los Angeles in the rehearsal process for the world premiere production for “Tommy” by The Who. … I thought, “Oh my goodness. I just did this in New York and I know everything about it. I’d like to go try my luck.”

We were rehearsing all day and doing shows at night, so I couldn’t pull out of that to go to an audition. And “an agent” was something that was foreign to me. I contacted … (Norman Jewison’s) agent and asked him if he would kindly invite Mr. Jewison to come see “Tommy.”

But something went wrong.

He came on a Saturday evening when we had a matinee performance. During the performance, I was knocked out cold on stage ….

(The show) was extremely physical. Tommy, you know, is a pinball wizard. And so the choreographer used the philosophy of the machine and in the (musical number) “Underture” created the essence of a pinball machine on-stage. My character was the pinball. All the dancers had ballet backgrounds and so they were used to catching ladies as they were doing these magnificent leaps.

On this particular performance, one of these muscular men was ill and his understudy did the show. He just happened to be a little off and I hit the floor. And I was knocked out. It wasn’t any horrible injury. I was just a little coocoo.

Norman Jewison came to see this wonderful performance that I was not in. After all this preparing, he saw my understudy play the role. I didn’t find out until the next day when his agent called me, just livid, because he had finished his audition process in Los Angeles and he and his wife had gone to Palm Springs for the weekend and they drove all the way back up just to see the show.

So what did you do?

I was just destroyed and I basically said to the agent, “Please, I have to apologize to this gentleman. Can I invite him to lunch or something?”

So that next day, I was invited to Norman’s hotel…. and we discussed why I had the audacity first of all to do this and then he told me that he had already made his mind up about his cast. That was it.

Again, I’m this rock ‘n roll drummer who has no training and I’m thinking, “I’ll never get the opportunity to sit with this man or any man like this in the business, and I’m going to try everything I can to get him to see what I do.” And he asked me, “How come you’re so adamant about this role?”

I told him, “Well, sir, I did it in the Broadway show and I know this piece well and I have a background of extreme spirituality growing up in the Bible Belt of Texas.” … Here I am thinking, “What can I do to impress this man?” Out of my mouth blurted, “I’ll pay for a screen test if you’ll (try) me for this role.”

Now, I had heard the term “screen test,” but mind you I had no idea what a screen test was nor did I have any idea how much a screen test would cost. And he just fell out of his chair laughing.

He said, “Why do you want me to see what you do?” And my response was, “Well, here’s why. I’m sitting here with you because I was adamant enough to get your agent to make this happen. And if I miss this opportunity, I will never know for the rest of my life. I can openly accept if you hear me sing and you say to me, ‘Ted, you’re horrible. You’re not right.’” I can accept that. But if you don’t, and I still miss the opportunity, I will never know, will I?”

And he was very open to that. He said, “I admire you for your courage. Let me see what I can do and I’ll keep in touch with you.”

You thought it was a brush-off.

He went to London. I went back to the theater. We finished our run of “Tommy” in Los Angeles. There was going to be a national tour of “Jesus Christ Superstar” and it was going to open at the Universal Amphitheatre.

We were actually in the rehearsal process … and I got a call in the wee hours of the morning saying “Ted, it’s Norman Jewison.” Of course my heart jumped out of my throat and I tried to pull myself off the walls, and he said, “Well, why don’t you come do that screen test we discussed.” Of course, I climbed the wall again … He chose to do the test at his complex at Pinewood Studios in London.

So (his “Superstar” co-star) Carl Anderson and I get to go to London. (Jewison) told us when we arrived that it was pretty much a token test: “The gentlemen I picked to play Jesus and Judas will be coming in later today for a screen test, as is the lady playing Mary Magdalene. So I’m going to use you gentlemen as a walkthrough for my crew.”

He asked Carl to sing “Heaven on Their Minds” which is the opening song for “Superstar.” And he asked me to sing a song called “Gethsemane,” which is the soliloquy Jesus sings in the Garden of Gethsemane after the Last Supper. We both did that and we started to walk away and Norman did his best “Columbo” impersonation and said, “Excuse me, fellows, I’d like you to do something together. You know that confrontation scene between Jesus and Judas at the Last Supper?” Carl and I looked at each other and chuckled because that’s what we were rehearsing at Universal.

After we did it, the entire crew applauded.

Two weeks later I got a phone call from Norman in the wee hours of the morning and he said, “Ted, you were right. You’re my Jesus.”

Then I freaked and said, “Well, who’s your Judas?” And he said “Your friend Carl.”

How wonderful.

Never in his career had he encountered an actor who had the courage to do that. And he said it was because I had the courage to sit down with him and discuss it that he thought, “Well, what the heck. Screen test this guy. You never know what might happen.”

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I interviewed Norman Jewison last March. Click here to read his thoughts on “Jesus Christ Superstar” and other projects.

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Photo courtesy of Troika Entertainment.